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The Forest
"The Forest" is the 12th episode of the fourth season of Camp Camp, and is the 52nd episode overall. It premiered August 17th, 2019 on the RT FIRST site, and August 24th, 2019 on the Rooster Teeth website. Official Synopsis Plot A canoe makes contact with the beaches of Camp Campbell, and Nikki excitedly leaps out of it declaring that today has been their "best adventure yet!" Ered, holding a t-shirt gun, compliments Nerris on shooting a blimp with a flaming arrow resulting in a critical hit, and Nerris snickers that she couldn't have done so without Max distracting the Wood Scouts with his routine. Max stands in front of the group and hotly reminds them that what they saw today is a secret that must be taken to the grave, and Nurf slyly remarks that he'd rather "tap out" before telling anyone about his hidden talent. Space Kid, who has been tied to one end of Nurf's boffer stick, chimes in to thank everyone for saving him, prompting David to ask the campers what they learned from "today's chaotic and exceptionally entertaining misadventure." Disturbed, Neil says he learned that Jermy Fartz has enough fart gas inside his body to fill a blimp, and both Max and Nurf are drawing ablank on coming up with a lesson. David tells them to think about it while Gwen walks them back to camp; he needs to tie up the canoes and will meet them later. As soon as they depart David gets started, and notices that someone forgot a bag of trail mix. He steps into the canoe to grab it and slips on a small puddle. He smiles nonchalantly saying "whoops!" as he falls, but then bashes his head on one of the seats and is promptly knocked unconscious. The impact dislodges the boat from the shore, and it silently floats out onto the lake and towards a south-easterly river. Some time later, David wakes up, disoriented and sporting a huge bump on the side of his head. He looks around, understanding he's been set adrift, and suddenly realizes he's coming up on a waterfall with absolutely no way to steer away or turn around. He fruitlessly tries using his hands to paddle but is inevitably pulled off the edge, letting out a high-pitched scream as he plummets. The canoe has been smashed and his life jacket somehow came undone, but David resurfaces nonetheless and quickly swims up to the shore, gasping and sputtering for air. He gets on all fours while coughing up quite a bit of water as well as a small fish, which then causes him to grimace about how disgusting this is before vomiting up more water. Once that's done, David starts making his way back, having lost his left boot and shivering in his wet clothes. A white wolf - who had been scared away by David's commotion in the river - now returns, growling in the bushes before revealing itself. David puts up his hands in surrender, calmly saying "easy girl" and that he doesn't want any trouble as he is only passing through on his way back to camp. The wild animal continues growling and advances, prompting him to pick up a rock and tell it a bit more sternly to leave him alone. The wolf snarls menacingly and David has no choice but to throw the rock to defend himself, shouting at the beast to get out of here. The rock bounces off the ground and effectively scares it into running back into the woods, and David breathes a sigh of relief. The river is long and winding, but in the distance he spots a large white plateau, and opts to climb it in search of a vantage point (rather than sensibly following the river up-stream), making use of a large walking stick to help out. The sun is setting by the time he reaches the top, losing his window of opportunity to build a shelter before losing daylight. There are no landmarks to indicate he's anywhere close to the camp, and with a sigh he drops on a nearby tree stump to rest. He looks up to the sky and watches it turn from dusk to twilight, and the shimmering stars above cause him to smile fondly. He then notices a bee flittering near his face, then a few more, which is understandably puzzling. He stands up as the stump breaks apart, revealing a beehive encased inside of it, and he is quickly swarmed by angry and territorial bees. David swats at them while backing away and screaming in fear, and unfortunately backs himself right off the plateau, ragdolling all the way down before finally slamming hard against the ground. The bees continue their assault, and David is stung multiple times as he gets up and runs, finally managing to shake them off after jumping into the river. Soaked to the bone once more and overtly shivering now that the sun has set, David sits on the ground and empties his pockets, sensibly taking stock of what he has that might be helpful to his survival; all he really has is his wallet, keys, a Swiss army knife, and his yellow t-shirt bandana. He checks inside his wallet and finds a note reading "Dear David, I borrowed all your money. -Max" and he smiles gently. He also has a "Smoothie Move" punch-card, which is good for a free smoothie after buying 10, and this serves to make his stomach growl loudly. Having wasted enough time, David sets about building a fire by tenting some sticks and stuffing leaves inside, using a rock and his keys as a makeshift flint stone to try and light it. He manages to create a small flame that is quickly fizzled out by a drop of rain, which then immediately becomes a torrential downpour. Defeated, David looks up at the sky and says, "well, that's not the best." Luckily, he manages to create a sort of slanted wood shelf with leaves to cover it, and is seen mumbling the names of tree species while snoring away. The next morning, David is back on the trail with his walking stick, and happens upon the waterfall that he had fallen off of - indicating he's getting much closer to the camp - but the task of climbing up the ledge is still daunting. He passes by a bush with bright red berries glistening from the rain, which prompts his stomach to growl again and his mouth to water. David turns away from the bush and continues on, indicating that the fruits are unfit for humans. He hears growling once more, and the same wolf from earlier leaps onto the scene while barking at him. Again David tells "Wolfie" he doesn't want any trouble, and picks up another rock to toss in self-defense. This time, the wolf dodges the rock and is enraged by it, snarling dangerously at him. David raises his stick above his head and tells her again to back off, but she then pounces, biting down on the stick. David places his feet on her underside and kicks her off, knocking the stick aside. She instantly turns around and pounces again, and without anything to defend himself she sinks her teeth deep into his left arm and slashes her claws on his chest, causing him screech in pain. They fall to the ground and her teeth are disengaged, giving David the opportunity to scramble to his feet and run as fast as he can. Wolfie is hot on his heels, snarling as she gives chase. David is hit by several small tree branches in the process, and realizes he's coming up on a ravine; thus there is no other choice for him but to try and make the jump to escape his attacker. He takes a flying leap and actually manages to make it across, though he is almost dangling off the edge with only his hands on the grass, trying to pull himself up and over the side. The wolf also decides to make the jump, and she lands squarely on David's back, desperately clawing at him as he cries out, lamenting this bad decision. Unfortunately, David can't shake her loose, and is dragged off the cliff into the bottom of the ravine with her. He lands hard on his left leg and it snaps immediately at both the ankle and the shin, thus he crumples to the ground while shrieking in agony over the searing pain of his broken limb. The wolf lands in the ravine as well, cleanly impaling her lower body on two jagged branches before hitting the ground. Despite this, she is still insistent on attacking David, and drags herself over on her front legs while he backs up toward the wall, whimpering to be left alone. She pins David and snarls in his face, but succumbs to the pain of her injury and goes limp. He hastily pushes her off and gets to his feet, able to stand on his doubly-broken leg on the immense amount of adrenaline coursing through his body. David strains to pick up a very large rock and holds it over his head, bellowing uncontrollably at the wolf as the ravine causes his words to echo and amplify in volume. "Why did you do this? Why? I told you to go! Why couldn't you just leave me alone?! I asked you to go away, why didn't you just go? Why? Why?" The wolf, injured and terrified, squeezes her eyes shut and whimpers at him. Tears well up in David's eyes and he continues in a very strained tone, "I told you, and you didn't listen!" He turns away to squeeze out the tears, then turns back to the wolf as his eyes snap open, bringing the rock down with a heavy thud. Having presumably killed the wolf, he lays on the ground, curling up on himself and repeatedly sobbing "why, why, why?" as the camera pans up to the sky. The sky now changes from a stormy gray to a calm blue. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and an innocent rabbit is suddenly killed by an expertly thrown spear. David emerges from the bushes to retrieve it and his appearance has completely changed; he is now wearing sandals, long brown pants with his belt, a splint made of sticks around his left leg, a shirt made out of leaves (of which one shoulder consists of a section of tree bark with feathers underneath), brown hand wraps, his yellow t-shirt bandana serving as a bandage over the puncture wounds in his left arm, and a green bandana. He is also sporting a beard, indicating he's been living out here for a while. After the rabbit has been skewered and roasted over an open fire, David rips off one of its back legs and puts it on a plate, then begins walking away with it. Behind him, one can see an outhouse, an oven, a bench, two axes, and a small structure that has "counselor" scrawled across a wooden plank above the door. He comes upon a barrel with a functioning tap to fill a bowl with water, then opens a door to reveal Wolfie resting inside a small cube-ish shelter, wearing a bandage around her flank. He hands her the plate of food and water and calls her a good girl, patting her head affectionately. Later that night, the pair are resting in front of the fire, and David unwraps the bandages from her previous impalement to check on her wound. Things are looking good and he says "we're about ready", and she pants at him happily. Downhearted, David says she can't come with him, and she whines at him in return. Softly, he assures her that of course they can wait until morning. Morning arrives and David hefts a backpack of supplies onto his shoulders, also armed with a bow & arrow and a new walking stick. He looks back at Wolfie who bolts off with a bark, and David turns away, blinking repeatedly to suppress the tears stinging his eyes and walks off, continuing his journey back to camp. He walks across fields, shimmies across a tightrope, through the rain and over ruggedly bumpy terrain, and across a small plateau while whistling the theme song. With a small gasp, he rushes forward a bit, recognizing the docks and canoes of Camp Campbell a few yards away. Elated, David realizes he's finally made it, and begins jumping up and down while chanting "yes yes yes yes!" Startled, a baby brown bear near him falls over and begins fussing, and David hastily apologizes in the hopes that it won't tell its mother... who of course appears right behind David and picks him up, shaking him from side to side while he continues screaming his apology. The angry bear throws him against a tree and roars in his face before rearing back to attack. Heroically, Wolfie comes flying out of the bushes, leaping onto the bear and sinking her teeth into its shoulder. She is easily tossed aside but, undeterred, Wolfie pounces again, and is easily defeated by the mama bear slapping her off to the side. The baby bear flees the scene and the mama rushes after it with a shrug. With a disbelieving but relieved laugh, David realizes he's been spared, and turns to thank Wolfie for her help. His heart sinks as he realizes she's injured, having been slashed on the side of her throat by the bear's claws, and her end is quickly drawing near. With tears in his eyes, he thanks her and gives her scritches behind her ear, and she dies in his care. David sniffles and wipes away his tears, choking out that he'll never forget what she's done for him. After a quick cut, David somberly walks away from an arrangement of rocks he's made, indicating a grave he's created for her, in the direction of Camp Campbell. In his absence, the canoes had not yet been put away, and he finally finishes the chore that started this whole adventure by securing them on a rack. Looking completely worn out, he walks back to the counselors' cabin and collapses into bed, falling asleep before his head even hits the pillow. On the dawn of a new day, a clean-shaven David slides in front of a group of campers (consisting of Max, Neil, Nikki, Nurf, Space Kid, and Nerris), and happily greets them good morning, adding that he hopes they didn't miss him too much. Picking up where they left off, he asks what they had learned from the wacky adventure that happened prior to the start of the episode, and Max complains that their vacation's over. Unfazed, David says they've had plenty of time to figure it out, and Neil admits they didn't even give it a second thought. David places his hands on his heart, believing that the lesson was about kindness, and looks down at the ground for a moment. "You know, being nice to strangers," he pauses and touches his arm. "Even if those strangers weren't very nice to you, or even if they hurt you." His face scrunches up, and takes a breath to try and calm down. He glances in the direction he came from before continuing, "it doesn't matter, because... you never know when a little kindness can come back around when you -" he chokes up a little, and tears form at the edges of his eyes. He looks off to the side again, and finishes, "when you need it the most." The campers stand silently, completely oblivious to the emotional and physical battering that David has suffered since they last saw him, and Max callously remarks that this is a bit of a stretch. Transcript would go here. Features Characters Main Characters * David Supporting Characters * Wolfie * Max * Neil * Nikki * Nurf Minor Characters * Ered * Nerris * Space Kid * Wood Scouts * Jermy Fartz * Gwen * Harrison * Preston Goodplay * Dolph Music * "Camp Camp Song Song" (Opening Theme) * "Sometimes, Karma Isn't A Bitch" (Ending Theme) Gallery Trivia * Max's "hidden talent" is an ability to tap-dance. In the scene where he addresses everyone to keep it a secret, a couple of obvious tap-shoe clicks can be heard as he walks, and his shoes are clearly black instead of the usual red. Other hints include Nerris' snicker about Max's (dance) routine, and Nurf also saying he'd rather "tap out" than give away the secret. ** The off-screen adventure that happened just before the start of the actual episode seems to be another battle with the Wood Scouts, as Nerris had to shoot down a blimp powered by Jermy's farts. * This episode arguably has the most graphic depictions of injury of the entire series, with blood being prominently shown when David was bitten and slashed at by Wolfie, as well as breaking his leg in two places. ** A bruised and slightly bloodied David was also shown in "Camporee" when he was (ironically) also mauled by a wolf, but that attack happened off-screen. ** Tabii also bled a fair bit when she lost her eye to a fork in "Bonjour Bonquisha". ** Another contender for that title would be Dirty Kevin in "New Adventure!" when his entire shin bone was sticking out of his leg, though no blood was shown. * According to the "Camp Camp Waffle Watch-Along" live stream for the season 4 finale, Miles has said he almost vomited while recording the part where David coughs up water after getting out of the river. He gargled water for the scene in order to obtain the best sound, and on the third take he actually triggered his gag reflex. He also said that recording for this episode took several sessions, as he ended up almost blowing out his voice several times due to all the screaming he did while David was being attacked by the wolf. Interestingly, the wolf attack is also his favorite moment from season 4, and the episode itself is one of his favorites of the entire series. * This episode cleverly doesn't specify how much time had passed while David was living out in the wilderness, but judging on the complexity of the structures he built himself and Wolfie while they were recovering, as well as the beard he grew (which admittedly is a very fickle means of measurement as every person is different), one can reasonably guesstimate that he was out there for about two weeks. * David's hut has the word "counselor" written across a wooden plank above the door. Despite being stranded in the wilderness, it's amusing that he made himself a "counselors cabin" nonetheless, and that he continues to embody that role. * With this episode, David can now speak wolf - something that Nikki has shown to be capable of in "Camporee". * While walking back to camp near the end of the episode, David whistles the theme song. ** The rough and bumpy terrain he crosses looks similar to the one shown in the theme song when he rattles off the activity "hiking". * If one looks closely at the scene where David greets the campers at the end of the episode, a modern medical splint can be seen on his left leg, replacing the one he made out of sticks. Cultural References * The scene where David spears a rabbit could potentially be a reference to an infamous clip of a female gamer crying out when seeing a rabbit die while streaming a game called The Last of Us. Continuity * This is the third time where an actual episode picks up after an unseen adventure has just concluded or was still in progress. This was also in "New Adventure!" and "Follow the Leader". ** It's also the second time where characters mention previous adventures that haven't been shown on screen; in "New Adventure!" Nerris and Dolph make reference to a "high-speed balloon chase with rabid geese" and a "Soft and Cuddly Court Dog Show" that have yet to be seen. * David's desire to pick up the leftover trail mix isn't surprising considering it's one of his favorite snacks, mentioned in "Anti-Social Network". * Max's penchant of going through David's things is shown again; this time, Max took the money out of David's wallet and left a note saying he'd done so. He is notorious for having David's phone on his person (for example "Romeo & Juliet II: Love Resurrected" and "Camp Corp."), as well as snooping through David's belongings (such as the desk in "Arrival of the Torso Takers" and using David's credit card number to order Flower Scout cookies in "Bonjour Bonquisha".) * David did have a flint stone in "The Order of the Sparrow", but he accidentally broke it in frustration. Here, he uses his keys as a flint stone instead. * David is seen mumbling the names of tree species in his sleep again. This can also be seen in "Cult Camp" and "Dial M For Jasper". 'Errors' * While this section is moreso meant for animation/episode errors, David does make some poor survival-skill choices that ought to be mentioned. He opts to climb a plateau to try and get a vantage point of the area, but since he came from up-stream he merely had to keep following the river against the current for the simplest and easiest path back to camp. Had he done the sensible thing, his ensuing fall off the plateau and bee-sting wounds would have been entirely avoided. He also failed to build a shelter before the sun had set (which is basically the stupidest thing one can do while out in the wild, lost or not), and it's lucky he didn't catch a cold (or worse) sitting in the dark in his wet clothes. ** To his credit however, there are many things he did right. He owns a Swiss army knife, made a soothing balm for his bee stings, managed to create an effective leafy blanket from the ensuing rain, start a fire before it got rained on, not eat the (probably) poisonous berries despite not having eaten in over a day, jump across the ravine when being chased by the wolf, create an effective splint for his broken leg, build a complex shelter for himself and the wolf entirely out of sticks and leaves, an outhouse, an oven, a bench, two axes, a plate and bowl, and even a water barrel with a functioning tap. References